All pre-orders are said to have been shipped, so they should be arriving very shortly on your doorsteps now.

Time we got this project up on the site somewhere methinks.

Will the appropriate team pick it up from here and evaluate them for inclusion as a new band, or do I need to create another thread for them in 'Suggest New Bands and Artists' forum? Theyre not on progfreak as yet, so unless IvŠn already has this in Symphonic's thread ready to do the necessary when the album lands, I'm assuming no team has them as yet.

Have yet to receive mine which makes me think there was an issue with my order. I'll give it a few days before I place an order with my usual supplier. Got plenty of new things to listen to so not as annoying as it might have been.

Having looked at the lineup and the tasteful promo materials, we were very much impressed and pre-ordered the album on vinyl. With Gavin Harrison, Nick Beggs and Steve Hackett on board, how could anything go wrong? When the package arrived (after a long, long wait), we were once again impressed - this time by how pretty the blue vinyl was, and by the luxurious feel of the jacket and the sleeves..

But the first listen was disappointing. Maybe, the expectations had been disproportionately high?

If I had to describe Beneath the Waves in one sentence, I'd go for "An embellished hybrid between Enya and the Side A of A Scarcity of Miracles". Maybe, laced with an amount of Cocteau Twins and some exotic vocals. The music is pleasant, but it kind of goes in circles around the same theme ... does this make it a concept album?

CHANGE OF HEART: I am going to listen to it again (since I have to drive for 2 hours straight tomorrow), and will see how the 2nd attempt goes :)

Got mine yesterday and have given it one spin. Gonna take a lot more to get the full effect but first blush is very positive and Argonaught's comments should be taken with a grain of salt. Reed was going for beautiful music and that is the what I am getting with very little if any "new age" vibe. Troy Donockley is all over this so if you like his work, no brainer. Steve Balsamo is on almost all of the songs and that guy has got the goods in the vocal dept. I couldn't see giving this any less than 4 stars if I were rating it.

Its not New Age but it is a little syrupy on first listen.Sounds like the soundtrack for Disney movie but with no outstanding songs or parts. A litle disappointed on first listen but will need more time to form a definitive opinion.

I was a bit harsh making the comparison to Disney. Expected someone to pick me up on that but strangely no one did. Its actually a very original work with plenty of layers. Will stand many many listens. Nice one.

I was a bit harsh making the comparison to Disney. Expected someone to pick me up on that but strangely no one did. Its actually a very original work with plenty of layers. Will stand many many listens. Nice one.

I have experienced the same kind of epiphany, facilitated by a WAV splitter. You see, about 1/2 of the album is for real like a soundtrack. But, I plucked out the tripe and ended up with 39:36 of fairly wholesome celto-symphonesque stuff ... with an adequate amount of Gavin and Nick, Q.E.D. I don't know what Hackett does on this album, but I have enough of his stuff from the '70s, so he gets a pass.

Or, when playing it on vinyl:

Side A: play allSide B: skip the first 5 minutes, then play to the end

First time I've heard it, like it but no too impressed. Second time...much better. By the third time, I was overwhelmed with emotions and feelings. What a great record and recording. I'm a 60 years old Progressive Rock fan, and what Rob Reed has done here should be considered a classic for the ages. This is for me, not the record of the year, but the masterpiece for the last two decades. Not a single moment in this almost 60 minutes of music is wasted. Is a perfect balanced record: subtle but at the same time powerful; the use of opera singers in the right places. Same for the chorus and the angelic voice of Angharad Brinn, as well as the Synergy vocals. Balsamo's voice spine tingling; Gavin Harrison's drumming just what was required for this type of music. The recording: well balanced through all the music spectrum... spectacular. You can hear every instrument and voices very clearly. I know this was a mammoth project, but if this music were put in a DVD - in a live recording - would be an achievement of a great magnitude. Wish to have to money to produce it. Thanks for this monumental contribution to the music in general.

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